Education Journalist & Parent Educator

Creative Play: The Real Work of Childhood

Ever notice how kids often have more fun playing with an empty box than with what was inside of it? That’s their imagination at work, and as parents, we should not underestimate how vital it is to nurture this creative spirit.

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson explains that creativity is “the process of having original ideas.” Creativity involves “using the imagination to solve problems,” and, he adds, it’s “as important as literacy.”

Molly James, a veteran kindergarten teacher who recently published a paper about creativity, says, “Kids are naturally creative. They exhibit this in their free play and exploration.” But too often, she says, adults don’t recognize the novelty in children’s ideas and trivialize their creative thinking with sentiments such as, “Oh, isn’t that cute!”